Trust me when I say, you don’t want to miss this seasons Fall Festival at Cox Farms. Young and old will have a ball venturing through activities on this 90 acres farm. Cox has the largest fall festival that I’ve been to in the DMV area. Cox Farms has been hosting Fall Festivals since the late 1970’s. What started off as simple hayrides to pick pumpkins, has now become one of the largest fall festivals in Virginia. Cox Farm transforms into an enormous playground every autumn; offering plenty of activities featuring a massive pumpkin patch, petting zoo, slides, games, as well as festive food and live entertainment. Let’s take a tour of the farm so I can share our experience.

Let’s start with the popular slides. Cox farm has a whopping total of six slides; volcano slide, Dino slide, Minor slide, Mountain slide, Castle slide and Barn slide. The slides are strategically placed on natural hills on the property and each slide has something unique and special about it.

The volcano slide looks like a giant Volcano, rumbles and makes noises.

The Dino slide is Cox Farms biggest slide! 6 lanes wide and 150 feet long, this is a dinosaur of a slide!

The mining slide is a tunnel slide that goes underground. This slide is located right next to Cox’s Mining Co. where you can pan for your very own treasure!

The mountain slide is Coxs first slide, while its an oldie it’s definitely a goodie.

Whether you are a prince or princess, Cox Farms Castle Slide is Magical.

Last but not least my favorite slide, the Barn slide. I love how you walk through a story book that tells the tale of Jack and The Bean Stalk. Beautifully painted wooden cutouts depict the story. The tale continues as you climb the stair that lead to the top is the barn. You are greeted by a hen with her golden egg. Escape the grasps of the giant by fleeing down the slide.

One of our favorite attractions was the Cornundrum; where you can venture through acres of fun hidden in a self guided corn maze. I had never been in a walk through corn maze before. Essentially you can’t get lost because you are guided down a path. In this corny adventure you will find all kinds of surprises around every turn; such as fun house style optical illusions, silly scenes and fun obstacles.

The Imaginature Trail is also pretty cool. This 15 minute walking trail loops through the woods to experience an interactive natural walk with a fairy-tale twist.

If anything you want to make sure you leave time to ride on Cox Farms famous hayride. This 20 minute wagon ride is pulled by an antique tractor and leads you through an interactive adventure where you will get to see cowboys, aliens, super heroes and more.

Make sure you also check out the Kiddie zone, farm chores, fun tunnels, petting zoo, swings and carnival style games. I love that the fall festival is fun and has nothing spooky that would scare small children. The farm hosts a Fields of Fear at night for a more mature audience.

Another surprise that I didn’t expect to see is a collection of so many antique tractors!

Cox’s food concessions are out of this world. From addictive kettle corn that you can smell from a mile away to their famous hand-cut fries or fresh squeezed lemonade to BBQ smoked on the farm there is plenty of delicious eats and treats. Enjoy free refreshments; apples picked from the farm and homemade cider are available near the kids zone, for no additional charge. Just help yourself. Also as you leave the festival, don’t forget to choose one of the small pumpkins on display to take home. Everyone gets a small patch pumpkin to take home FREE with paid admission.

TIPS AND TRICKS

Because the Cox Farms Fall Festival is a must-see annual tradition, it’s huge and often crowded. Here are a few tips to navigate the farm and get the most for your time and money.

1.) Avoid the crowd- October weekends are peak times for crowds. If you prefer visiting during a low key time try visit on a weekday afternoon when there are fewer guests or visit the farm in September or November which tend to be less busy then October.

2.) Take advantage of discounts- Cox Farms offers a variety of options for discounted tickets: Visit the farm on a week day. Admission is only $6 on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays early in the fall season/$10 on week days during peak time. Pay attention to event weekends such as Public Servant Weekends. Visit their website for information and details. http://www.coxfarms.com/fallfestival/calendar.aspx

3.) Wear comfortable clothing- Don’t worry about dressing to impress. Dress comfortably. Weather changes frequently in Virginia. I highly suggest wearing layers starting with a short-sleeved shirt under a warmer layer in case the temperature rises or falls during the day/evening. My biggest recommendation is to wear long pants. With activities like sliding down hills, digging in corn and climbing in hay, pants will be most comfortable than shorts, skirts or dresses.

4.) Skip the traffic- Use the “secret entrance” on Pleasant Valley Road. If the entrance on Braddock Road is backed up, look out for this second entrance into the parking lot.

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The Playful Parent

The Playful Parent was created in 2016 as a blog to share the joys and craziness of parenting. The founder of The Playful Parent is a full time domestic energizer and has a Bachelors from Marymount University and a Masters in Clinical Counseling from Johns Hopkins University.

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The Playful Parent was created by Kristy a mother of two energetic boys. She has a Bachelors degree with a interest in Secondary Education and Masters in Clinical Community Counseling from Johns Hopkins University. “I believe that children learn through play! I love to do fun things with my children and hope that sharing our adventures provides other families with inspiration and resources that lead to quality time together and a love for learning!” This non profit 501c3 organization was started so parents would have a family friendly place to come to, feel supported and leave with information that is useful. This site is kept advertisement and influence free in order to keep the site from clutter and bias opinion. Your support, feedback, likes and comments are essential; this site was designed to connect the community. The Playful Parent offers resources such as guides, calendars and ideas for making learning fun. In addition, TPP is present in the community and hosts a handful of events to support SOMD in raising healthy families.